"[39] Jason Ivey in the Tea Party Tribune found the later sequences of the film "truly breathtaking" and wrote, "There's simply something more suspenseful, more dramatic, when you know you're watching Clint Eastwood hanging from a rope 1,000 feet above the rocky earth. He was one of the few crew members who actually climbed the Eiger north face. [18], Principal photography began on August 12, 1974, in Grindelwald, Switzerland, with a team of climbing experts and advisers from the United States, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. (for those newbies out there, the Eiger Sanction is NOT a mountain. He tries to kill Hemlock by hiring George to drug him, but Hemlock survives. On the train back to Kleine Scheidegg, Bowman admits he became involved with "the other side" years earlier, but claims he had no idea that Hemlock's friend would be killed. [31] Although not considered among Williams' finest scores, The Eiger Sanction soundtrack has a certain stylish allure different from anything else he has done, and is "memorable in some places, beautiful and orchestral in others", according to Southall. [12] "The challenge of it for me," he would later explain, "was to actually shoot a mountain-type film on a mountain, not on sets. Hemlock has to join a crew of explorers (George Kennedy) on a trip to the Eiger, a treacherous Swiss mountain. The Eiger Sanction Title: Returning from Europe, Hemlock meets C2 courier Jemima Brown (Vonetta McGee), who seduces him, and while he is asleep, steals his money and IRS exemption letter. Was this review helpful to you? The Eiger Sanction Synopsis: Jonathan Hemlock is an art history professor and collector who finances his hobby by performing the odd sanction (assassination) for an obscure government bureau. [25] Stanley blamed Eastwood for the accident because of lack of preparation, describing him as a director and actor as a "very impatient man who doesn't really plan his pictures or do any homework". Eastwood did his own climbing and stuntwork under dangerous conditions. [31] The main theme is reprised in "George Sets the Pace" as a guitar solo with flute harmony. The general reaction among many reviewers offered criticism of the story and screenplay, and praise for the climbing footage and action sequences. "[36] Some critics were less forgiving, such as Joy Gould Boyum of The Wall Street Journal, who complained that the film "situates villainy in homosexuals and physically disabled men",[36] and Pauline Kael of New York magazine, who described the film as "a total travesty".[36]. Variety concluded, "Eastwood ... manages fine suspense both in the Swiss and Monument Valley climbs, as well as delineation of character. [14] Murphy read the novel and agreed to write the script, but he was unhappy with the novel's tone, which he believed patronized readers. Add the first question. The film is based on the 1972 thriller novel The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian, a pseudonym for Rodney William Whitaker, a University of Texas film professor. Dr. Jonathan Hemlock (Clint Eastwood) is an art history professor and collector who finances his hobby by performing the odd sanction (assassination) for an obscure government bureau. The Eiger Sanction was first released in DVD format on December 15, 1998, and in Blu-ray format on November 10, 2015, by Universal Studios. Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray provides a sharp-looking presentation with a nice selection of bonus materials, making it an essential purchase for fans of Clint Eastwood. Hemlock travels to Switzerland with Bowman, the "ground man" or supervisor of the climb, and meets the other members of the climbing party at the Hotel Bellevue des Alpes at Kleine Scheidegg. [31] The original soundtrack album was released in 1975 on the MCA label, and in 1991, it was issued as a CD on the Varèse Sarabande label. Those holes in the story - well, they're right there in the book, too. [1], As soon as he signed on to the project, Eastwood took complete control of the production. The following morning, the men begin their ascent of the Eiger north face, but soon the weather conditions become poor. A hard but mediocre cop is assigned to escort a prostitute into custody from Las Vegas to Phoenix, so that she can testify in a mob trial. Hemlock agrees, and travels to Zurich, where he carries out the first sanction for $20,000, twice his usual fee (equivalent to $104,000 in 2019), and a letter guaranteeing no trouble from the IRS. The Eiger Sanction is a 1972 thriller novel by Trevanian, the pen name of Rodney William Whitaker. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSterritt2014 (, "Rodney Whitaker, a.k.a. But a lot of people are literally betting that they won't make it into town alive. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? [31] A main theme presented initially on piano evokes a sense of sophistication and mystery, then gives a much jazzier or pop rendition reminiscent of Lalo Schifrin's material. [30], Eastwood chose John Williams to compose the original music soundtrack for The Eiger Sanction—his only score in the spy thriller genre. [9] From the beginning, Eastwood planned to shoot the mountaineering scenes on location, and that he would do his own climbing without a stunt double. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. [21] At 13,015 feet (3,967 m) in elevation, the north face of the Eiger, which means ogre in German, is renowned for its treacherous climbing,[21] earning the German nickname Mordwand or "murder wall". From the iconic to the eclectic, relive the most memorable moments from the Oscars red carpet. [19] The Eiger Sanction was filmed in Technicolor,[29] and was released to theaters with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. [22] While the team was preparing to be helicoptered off the north face, Hoover remembered they had not taken any footage from the climbers' point of view of the boulders crashing down on them. Watch trailers, read customer and critic reviews and buy The Eiger Sanction directed by Clint Eastwood for £7.99. Looking to watch The Eiger Sanction? I just took it and tried to make the guy relate to the hero so the hero had some motivations. He falls onto Bowman's rope, and is pulled into the tunnel to safety. Nun Sara (Shirley MacLaine) is on the run in Mexico and is saved from cowboys by Hogan (Clint Eastwood), who is preparing for a future mission to capture a French fort. He is forced to take a case where he must find out which of the members of a mountain climbing team is the Russian killer he has been given as a target by joining an expedition to climb the treacherous Eiger. Took my boyfrind for his birthday treat here as he is a climbing fanatic and had always dreamt of seeing and maybe climbing the Eiger one day. Arizona Deputy Sheriff Coogan (Clint Eastwood) is sent to New York City to escort an escaped fugitive back for trial. Amazon.com: The Eiger Sanction: Clint Eastwood, George Kennedy, Vonetta McGee, Jack Cassidy, Heidi Bruhl, Thayer David, Reiner Schoene, Michael Grimm, Jean-Pierre Bernard, Brenda Venus, Gregory Walcott, Elaine Shore, Dan Howard, Frank Redmond, Clint Eastwood, Robert Daley, Richard Zanuck, Hal Dresner, Warren B. Murphy, Rod Whitaker: Movies & TV. Scenes were also shot at Rock Door mesa above Goulding's Lodge, where Eastwood and company stayed. (960) IMDb 6.4 2 h 9 min 1975 R. Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this intrigue thriller about a retired assassin who is forced into action when a … He outlined his plans for the summer—shoot a Hollywood film, “The Eiger Sanction.” But unlike other climbing films that had been shot on sets of fake mountains, Eastwood’s production would be shot on the real Eiger. Hemlock notices Bowman is limping, a sign that identifies him as Hemlock's target. Dragon wants Hemlock to kill two men responsible for the death of another government agent, code name Wormwood. [16] He worked with soundman Peter Pilafian to develop lightweight, disposable batteries to power a specially adapted camera and sound equipment needed to film on the mountain. The B-Side – In Conversation with Dariusz Wolski, Clint Eastwood’s 5 Worst and 5 Best Movies as a Director, From ‘The Rookie’ to ‘Unforgiven’ (Photos), Clint Eastwood - Favorites and Ranked Filmography, The Directors: The Films of Clint Eastwood. Universal vice president Jennings Lang would supervise the production. Released in 1975, The Eiger Sanction starred Clint Eastwood as Jonathan Hemlock, a retired assassin-turned art history teacher-turned mountain climber. Disappointed with the way Universal handled his first directorial efforts—Play Misty for Me (1971) and Breezy (1973), he was looking to move to Warner Bros., where studio head Frank Wells was offering an open invitation,[10][11] and Eiger represented a way to close out his contract. A pilot is sent into the Soviet Union on a mission to steal a prototype jet fighter that can be partially controlled by a neuralink. The Eiger Sanction 1975 Trailer - YouTube. [17] Eastwood had seen and admired the documentary, and hired Hoover to train him on how to look professional during the climbing scenes, and to serve as principal cameraman on the more dangerous climbing sequences. [9] Eastwood saw serious flaws with the novel and the script, which had gone through three revisions and a rewrite by the time he read it. Hemlock travels to Arizona to train at a climbing school run by a friend, Ben Bowman (Kennedy), who whips him back into shape with the help of an attractive Native American woman named George (later revealed to be Bowman's daughter). Back at Kleine Scheidegg, Bowman approaches Hemlock, looking to mend his relationship with the assassin. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your … [18] By midafternoon on August 13, as light began to fail, a wrap was called after shooting a rock-slide sequence. Trevanian, 74; Author Wrote 'Eiger Sanction, "The Eiger Sanction: Climb Every Mountain", "The Eiger Sanction (1975): Bold Mountain", "Eastwood Flashback: A Look at 'The Eiger Sanction, Alex Honnold Breaks Down Iconic Rock Climbing Scenes, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Eiger_Sanction_(film)&oldid=1013381628, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 March 2021, at 09:46. Eastwood, I thought, was crazy. Watch later. Info. Something curdled between that book and this one, though, as its tone is more caustic without being sharper--it often just seems bitchy rather than witty. Reviewed October 28, 2007 . The Eiger IS a mountain!) [42] The film was released in Blu-ray format on November 10, 2015 by Universal.[42]. This realness makes films like this compelling in a way today's films can never be. (1975). A gun-fighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way. Bowman throws him the rope, and Hemlock attaches it, then reluctantly cuts his own rope. [18] Hoover negotiated permission from the tribal authorities for his team to climb the Totem Pole to remove pitons and other climbing hardware embedded in the structure by previous climbers, restoring the monolith to pristine condition. There comes a time in some movies when sheer spectacle overwhelms any consideration of plot, and Clint Eastwood's "The Eiger Sanction" is a movie like that.It has a plot so unlikely and confused that we can't believe it for much more than 15 seconds at a time, but its action sequences are so absorbing and its mountaintop photography so compelling that we don't care.The Eastwood character is unlikely … Copy link. [40], Professional climber Alex Honnold ranks one of the climbing scenes of the movie (Eastwood climbing a desert tower) as "the most realistic in all of Hollywood climbing". [21] While filming on the Eiger, Stanley fell and sustained injuries that forced him to use a wheelchair for some time. His direction displays a knowledge that permits rugged action. Then he reacted characteristically—he got pissed off. [18] Hoover later recalled, "He looked up at me and said, 'Gee, I don't think I can make it.' The Eiger Sanction is a 1975 American action thriller movie directed by Clint Eastwood (who also stars) and was based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Trevanian.It also stars George Kennedy, Jean-Pierre Bernard, Vonetta McGee, Jack Cassidy, Thayer David, Gregory Walcott, Heidi Brühl and was distributed by Universal Pictures.. Other websites "[35] Playboy magazine described the film as "a James Bond reject. Ski lodge with views of the Eiger Spent a long 10 day ski break at the hotel with our 9 year old son. The Eiger Sanction spends the first 95-minutes of its 129-minute run time finally getting us to the mountain climbing. The Eiger Sanction, even as a bad movie, is still one of the best-or maybe the best-climbing movies. The life of a disc jockey is turned upside down after a romantic encounter with an obsessed fan. Thayer David, a year before his role as a boxing promoter in Rocky, was cast as the albino Dragon (named "Yurasis Dragon" in the novel). [31] The pseudo-baroque piece "Training with George" presents a lovely string arrangement "demonstrating Williams's remarkable versatility while retaining that musical signature that makes all of his scores so recognizably his", according to writer James Southall. [12] Eastwood decided to take on the most dangerous work during the first two days of shooting. Find out where The Eiger Sanction is streaming, if The Eiger Sanction is on Netflix, and get news and updates, on Decider. [26] One of the most dangerous stunts that Eastwood ever attempted involved him hanging from a rope 4000 ft above the valley floor in the penultimate scene. He just went up there strictly for monetary gain, no other motivation, period. He was awarded the Royal Humane Society's highest honor for his actions in the 1970 rescue of several stranded climbers in Glencoe, Scotland. Share. [7] In late November 1972, screenwriter Hal Dresner was hired to adapt the novel with the author Trevanian, credited as Rod Whitaker as a screenwriter. [19], Eastwood and company returned to the United States to the American Southwest, where filming resumed in Zion National Park in Utah; scenes were shot at Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, Zion Lodge, Checkerboard Mesa, the Narrows, the Hanging Gardens, the bridge over the Virgin River, and the Cave Route below the Cerberus Gendarme. 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